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Assemblyman Bill Parment is a Western New York Democrat who spent more than four decades in public service, and almost three of those in the state Assembly. He knows first hand the severity of the upstate-downstate divide and the intra-party battles it can spark. He saw evidence of this most recently during the debate over …

The US Senate failed to pass a measure that would allow debate to begin on the 9/11 Health Care and Compensation Act. The bill, which has already passed in the House, would provide $7 billion in aid to first responders and their families. However there are efforts to resurrect the legislation and include it in …

One of the most prominent elements of Governor David Paterson’s legacy will undoubtedly be his precedent-setting appointment of Richard Ravitch as lieutenant governor. Paterson tapped the veteran public servant in the summer of 2009, filling the vacancy he left when he ascended to replace former Governor Eliot Spitzer after Spitzer’s prostitution scandal. The move addressed …

President Obama announced today that he has tapped former Spitzer/Paterson administration commissioner Denise O’Donnell to serve as director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance at the Department of Justice. O’Donnell most recently served as state deputy secretary for Public Safety, but resigned in the wake of the David Johnson domestic violence scandal. She was initially …

Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo doesn’t pay property taxes because the house in which he lives in Westchester belongs to his girlfriend, Sandra Lee. The Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal AND the Zadroga cloture vote failed in the US Senate. Mayor Bloomberg praised President Obama in front of US Education Secretary Arne Duncan and insisted (again) that …

Appearing at an event honoring former AIG CEO Maurice “Hank” R. Greenberg, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani slammed former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s investigative tactics and accused him of unfairly persecuting the ex-insurance executive. Giuliani appeared at the fourth annual benefit dinner of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation honoring Greenberg, who is the current chairman and …

Former Assemblyman-turned-White Plains Mayor Adam Bradley’s domestic abuse trial ended today with his conviction on five of nine criminal charges. The Hudson Valley Democrat rejected calls for his resignation, and insisted he will appeal. “I am innocent, of course, I’m not going to step down. The truth will come out,” Bradley said. The Times reports …

LG Richard Ravitch made what is likely his last appearance in Albany as lieutenant governor for a free-wheeling speech and Q-and-A session with reporters during which he addressed his frustrations since he was appointed to the job by Gov. David Paterson almost 18 months ago. Ravitch also joined me for a CapTon interview that will …

A clearly relieved Rep. Tim Bishop held a conference call with reporters this morning to laud his hard-fought and very narrow victory in the 1st Congressional District, but indicated he won’t likely change either his approach or his ideology as a result of the close race. Bishop started out by thanking his Republican opponent, Randy …

Here’s the agreement between Andrew Cuomo and Patricia Lynch that details the AG’s allegations against the Albany-based uber-lobbyist. There are a number of unnamed individuals in the agreement, at least one of which could still be in Cuomo’s crosshairs, according to a source familiar with the settlement. The individual identified only as Lynch’s “partner in …